Study finds electromagnetic fields in EVs not a safety issue

An EU-funded study has found that electrified vehicles do not expose passengers to higher electromagnetic fields than those recommended in international standards (and neither do ICE vehicles).

The study EM Safety, which involved the independent research organization SINTEF and nine other European companies and research institutes, is the most comprehensive ever carried out in this field. In addition to improving the public’s confidence when it comes to magnetic fields in electric cars, the goal of this project was to create a standardized method for measuring electromagnetic fields in such vehicles.

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) defines the limiting values of acceptable exposure to magnetic fields at different frequencies. In the study, the highest values in 7 electric cars tested were measured near the floor, close to the battery and when starting the cars. In all cases, exposure to magnetic fields is lower than 20% of the limiting value recommended by the ICNIRP. Measurements taken at head-height are less than 2% of the same limiting value.

“There is absolutely no cause for concern,” said SINTEF physicist Kari Schjølberg-Henriksen. “The difference between this research and similar earlier work is that we have taken into account what contributes to the magnetic fields. The rotation of the wheels themselves generates considerable magnetic fields, irrespective of vehicle type.”